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As if to prove it, Kai stretched his long body, allowing his scales to brush ever-so-lightly against the many things he’d collected over the centuries and millennia. There was something so very calming about being safe in his hoard again. The lingering tension and worry about the fae slipped to the very back of his mind and, for a time, he could forget they existed.
He laid his head on a pile of pillows and closed his eyes, letting out a contented sigh. A smile teased his lips, but he pushed it away as he felt a hand graze his side as Xiang got up the courage to touch his scales. He held still as Xiang’s touch grew firmer and bolder, tracing a particular scale before moving up his body.
“Soft and smooth as silk, but they’re stronger than steel,” Xiang said in such a tone of awe. Kai didn’t get the impression that Xiang was talking to him, but talking out loud. “But…you’re gold.”
Kai’s eyes flicked open at the note of surprise. Xiang had turned to face him, confusion wrinkling up his expression. “I remember you being blue when you grabbed me in the forest.” Xiang turned to the scales he’d been caressing. “But you’re gold.”
Mn. My scales take on a blue tint when they are wet.
“Like camouflage?”
Kai lifted an eyebrow at him. Do you think a dragon needs camouflage?
Xiang cackled and went back to sliding his hand along his scales. “Yep, you’re still Kai. Even as a dragon, you’ve got that huffy, insulted tone.”
To his shock, Xiang turned and dropped against Kai’s body. He shifted several times, settling amongst the cushions while resting his head on Kai’s scales. A smile rose in Kai’s heart as he watched Xiang wiggle and shift, his hands resting on his stomach. The only thing that was missing was his phone, and his position would be identical to all the times he’d lain his head on Kai’s chest.
“You’re warm,” Xiang announced.
Kai grumbled. Of course, Xiang had a knack for opening his mouth and saying exactly the wrong thing.
I’m a dragon. We’re warm-blooded. I’m not a lizard, he snarled across the vampire’s mind.
Xiang grinned at him and sat up. “I’ve got a new request.”
Kai shifted his head on the cushions and closed his eyes. Now that he was comfortable in his own skin, stretched out in his hoard, he was feeling quite content and sated. Maybe a nap wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
You can’t have a new request. You just said you had only one. You’ve made your request.
“I want to amend my original request.”
His whiskers twitched as he tried not to smile. It was wrong how adorable Xiang could be when he was wheedling for something. What is your request?
“Will you take me flying in your dragon form? I know you’ve flown with me in the past, but it was all a blur. I want to remember it. See things. Feel the wind.”
Kai opened one eye to see Xiang crawling awkwardly across the cushions toward his head. He reached out one hand and stroked the tumble of silken whiskers that were spread about near him.
Flying?
“Yes! I could ride on your back. We’ll soar through the clouds.”
It was a tempting idea. Part of him wanted to share the feeling of flying with the vampire. To hear him laugh and feel his excitement as they rushed over the earth.
But flying meant being out, away from the safety of the hoard, where the fae might spot him. They had plenty of creatures within their numbers that could fly.
Besides, he’d played this game with Xiang and gotten burned. He’d said he needed to hunt, but what he’d really wanted was to contact his clan. No, he wasn’t going through this again.
With a snarl, Kai shifted into his human form, which made it much easier for him to scowl at Xiang.
“Hey!” Xiang shouted when the dragon body he’d been leaning on disappeared.
“Just want to go flying, huh?” Kai snapped. “And then what? Go spy on the fae? Or maybe, since we’re flying, we’ll fly by your clan’s home, where I can drop you off before I head to my cave alone.”
Xiang struggled to his feet, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. “What? What are you even talking about?”
“Don’t act coy. You’ve already played this trick with me. Asking for one thing while planning something different.” Kai hopped down from the oversized pillows to the hard stone floor covered with ornate rugs. He stomped away from Xiang, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “For the past several days, you’ve been silent about wanting to return to your clan, but you haven’t fooled me. I know everything you’re plotting.”
“You’re being ridiculous!” Xiang shouted at his back. “I wasn’t trying to fucking escape!”
